The Simplest Path
by datawolf39
Summary: Ren finally gets the bright idea to ask Kyoko how he should confess to the girl that he loves. OOCness ahead.
1. Asking

**A/n I'm working on Charm, but am a little blocked. I have some ideas for other SB fics so I thought I would get this posted in an attempt to coax my muse into letting me finish Charm.**

Ren had a plan, it was honestly such a perfect plan that he was unsure why he hadn't thought of it before. Who better to give him advice about how to pursue Kyoko than Kyoko herself.

"Mogami-san." he said when he saw her at LME. For once Yashiro wasn't here to make things awkward, and he was allowed to speak to her without fear of comments from his overly excitable manager.

"Hello, Tsuruga-san," she greeted him. He hoped that he wasn't imagining the tint of happiness that he heard in her voice, but previous interactions had shown him that nothing was what it seemed with Kyoko.

"If it isn't to much trouble, could you come over to my apartment, I wish to speak with you, and," here he allowed a somewhat sheepish look, "it is a personal matter, so I would feel better discussing it somewhere we wouldn't be overheard."

"Of course I can, Tsuruga-san," she answered immediately. For once she would be able to listen to his problems without a chicken suit, and perhaps even be able to help him in some way. "When would be a good time for you?"

"I have a photo shoot tonight, but that will be over at about eight. So anytime after that is perfectly acceptable."

"I have a LoveMe task that will run late tonight. I won't be done until nine."

"If you want I can pick you up," he offered. When she seemed to be about to refuse, he gave her a slightly saddened look. "It wouldn't be a problem, and you are doing me a favor, so I would feel far more at ease driving you than worrying about you coming over in the dark."

She seemed a bit resigned, probably thought he was channeling Cain, but in the end she agreed, and that was how they found themselves in his apartment at 9:15.

She had offered to make dinner, but he decided that they should order something, since she was here because he had asked her to be.

As they waited for the food to arrive, he somehow managed to convince her that it was acceptable for him to pay for her portion of the meal, and before she could give another argument on the subject, he distracted her with the simple task of setting the table.. Afterward, he turned on the television, settling on a re-run of an old sitcom. Less than twenty minutes later, the two of them we consuming the delivered food.

It was a pleasant dinner, and they talked about the roles they were playing as they ate. Finally, when the leftovers were put away, Ren began to speak. "I… Mogami-san, I would like to think that we are friends. Would you agree with that?"

Kyoko nodded blushing slightly. It gave Ren hope, and confidence that he was making the right choice.

"I don't have many friends, and you seemed the best to ask for advice. You see recently, I started to feel a deep affection for someone. I haven't said anything to her yet, but I want to."

"Why haven't you told her?" Kyoko asked, and Ren truly hoped that slight sadness that he detected in her tone was because she was upset that someone, she thought wasn't her, had caught his eye. He might have been imagining the sadness though, heaven knew that he was so far gone for her that any little thing he perceived would somehow be twisted to keep hold on a belief that she might care for him as he did for her.

"You see she got out of a bad relationship not too long ago, and I worry that announcing how I feel will cause her to… dislike me."

Kyoko nodded in understanding. She and this girl had something in common then. Not that she had Sho had ever been a couple, at least not to him, but she understood the getting out of a bad relationship bit.

"So what do you think that I should do? Do I wait or do I say something to her about my feelings?"

Kyoko set aside the feeling of disappointment, that some girl out there would soon be in a relationship with Ren, he was so busy already, and if he had a girlfriend, he wouldn't ever spend more time with her, but despite this, she sat up straight. He had helped her so much, it was the least she could do to offer him advice when he asked for it. "Maybe you should show her." She suggested quietly. "I understand how she must feel, and if I were her I don't think I would be receptive to a face-to-face confession." Then she realized who she was talking to. She almost back pedaled before realizing that Ren wouldn't be asking advice from her of all people if this girl was simply a fan that would be overjoyed that Ren had paid attention to her.

"How could I show her?" he asked.

"Well…" she trailed off. She closed her eyes, and thought. Corn! "You could give her something that is meaningful to you. You are a very private person, and you have the ability to buy expensive things, but if you gave her something that holds meaning for you, she would know that you are giving something far more important than a pricey trinket. Does that make sense?"

"That's an amazing idea," he said in a hushed whisper. "What should I say? I mean I don't want to risk making her uncomfortable."

"Maybe you should write a note?" she suggested. "It would give her some time to think about it, and judge the sincerity."

Ren seemed to light up, and if she wasn't mistaken, he was working on ideas at the moment. Kyoko had the unique feeling of a mixture of happiness, because she had helped him, and heartbreak, because until that moment, she hadn't known that sometime over the course of late night dinners, assistance with character creation, and roles they had played, that she had given her tattered, locked away heart, to the man that had fallen in love with someone else.


	2. Conffession

Kyoko didn't see Ren for the next three days. She hadn't even gotten a glimpse of him, and so she knew that it wasn't just coincidence or schedule differences. Honestly she couldn't tell if she was happier or sadder for it.

When he had dropped her off at home, she had waited until his car was out of sight before breaking down in tears. She had gone to her room, sobbing at the thought of losing something that she had never had in the first place. Jealousy and envy swirled in her, making her tears flow faster because she knew that she had no right to feel that way.

Sometime in the night she had fallen asleep, and for once she was appreciative of having a sparse schedule. That had been three days ago, and while her tears had run dry the pain had yet to diminish. Her biggest fear, was hearing that Ren had entered a relationship with someone, because then it would be true, and somehow she knew that the pain would increase tenfold.

She had just returned home for the day, going up to her room with the intent to change clothing, and help out downstairs, when she saw a box on her bed. She looked for any identifying marks, but there were none to suggest the box had been mailed. Instead all she saw was her name on the box. Well one of the owners of the Darumaya must have brought it up.

Slowly she opened the cardboard box, and was startled to find a few sheets of paper covered in writing, and a great deal of fabric. She set aside the papers for a moment, and looked at the fabric. It was revealed to be a blanket, and it was very soft, and warm. She had a feeling that it was very expensive. However, the top had been covered with a base layer, and sown on that were cutouts of angels, fairies, and other fantasy beasts.

She picked up the papers in one hand, and unconsciously caressed the soft blanket with the other.

Kyoko-chan,

I'm not a poet or a very accomplished writer. I can't write you sonnets or any other versions of beautiful artistic word combinations. What I can do is explain how I feel, and show you more of the self you have gotten to know when we speak alone.

When we first met, I disliked you. Acting is something that I treasure, and to hear that you were learning merely for revenge felt like an insult. Then I got to know you, learned what you had suffered, and found that you and I were alike. We both have used acting to reinvent ourselves, and in learning that my feelings started to change.

I began to enjoy spending time with you, and before I knew it, friendly affection had evolved into a deeper emotion. At first I didn't recognize it for what it was. Perhaps you may find it a bit comical, but before meeting you I didn't really understand the concept of love. I thought I had, but nothing could compare to the comfort of having you near me, and the joy I felt when I thought of you.

Then began the real issue. You have sworn off of love, and I didn't want to say anything for fear that you would reject me, and then I wouldn't be able to see you anymore. I thought it better to keep quiet, and be happy as your friend and teacher.

It isn't enough. I know that now. I am still scared that you will read this, and avoid me, but the pain of keeping quiet when all I truly want is to be allowed to hold you close to me, is starting to show. I am an accomplished actor but these emotions are strong, and so I am telling you how I feel.

I love you Kyoko. I don't deserve love, and I know that it is selfish, that I am selfish to feel this way. I have secrets, and you are still recovering, but I have to let you know the truth, even though you may hate me for it. I love you. I love the way you smile, I love the way your eyes light up right before you get into character, I love the way you look good in anything you wear, I love your golden eyes, I love your kind nature, I love the way you go into fairyland mode when you see something really pretty, I love the way you look at me, and see more than a famous actor. I love the way you make me feel, you make me feel like a person, like someone that matters.

I wish I could know what you think as you read this. As you read how I feel, and how much I care about you. Perhaps you think that somehow this is a joke or something similar. You have the tendency to think that especially when it comes to me. I don't know what I have done to give you the impression that I play with people in that way, but I am sorry that I have given you cause to think that. Anytime that you respond to this, I will be ready and waiting. If you chose not to acknowledge this letter, and my feelings, I hope that you will at least remain on friendly terms with me. Not being able to love you in the way I desire will hurt, but I would likely be inconsolable were you to withdraw from me completely. If being friend is all you desire, then that is more than enough for me, but if there is the slightest chance that you return my feelings, I will wait as long as you want, however long it takes, for you to be comfortable with the affection I feel for you.

The blanket enclosed with this letter is one that I have had for some time, and the cutouts are made from the fabric of one of my suits. Perhaps it is not the most romantic gift, but I liked the symbolism involved in turning something of mine into a gift for you, even if my tailor looked appalled when I asked him to make the cutouts.

To end this letter, I will give you another glance into the self I hide from the world. I can only hope that you won't be to harsh in your judgement of me, and will someday allow me to explain.

Yours Always,

Tsuruga Ren

and

Your Fairy Prince

Kyoko blinked and read the letter again. This was what she had advised Ren to do. He had professed his love to her. Then she read the end again. Fairy Prince? There was only one person she had ever called that, and that was Corn.

But that wasn't possible. It couldn't be.

An image of Ren as Cain playing BJ flashed before her eyes. At the time she hadn't connected it to the leaps that Corn used to do, but looking back there was some similarity. She could find out though. All she had to do was talk to him, and she would have answers.

She found she couldn't move, perhaps it was the shock.

Kyoko shook her head. Ren had confessed to her, why was she so frozen. She had been so upset when she had thought that he was in love with someone else. She took a deep breath, and before she could lose her nerve, she grabbed her cellphone, and dialed his number.

"Hello," he said, voice so quiet that she could hardly hear him. He sounded frightened, and wasn't that something. That gave her courage, because he was scared of rejection. This wasn't a joke. This wasn't acting, this was real.

"Tsuruga-san, I got your present," she said.

He said nothing, but she noticed that his breathing sped up.

Suddenly, she knew that they couldn't do this over the phone. It had to be in person. "Would it be okay if I were to come over. I think we need to talk."

"Y-yes that would be okay." Kyoko wondered if it was bad that she found his stuttering cute.

A cab ride, and an elevator trip later saw her outside his apartment. When he opened the door, he looked disheveled, He was in his pajamas, and they were rumpled like he had spent some time tossing and turning in bed. His hair was wild, and she suspected that he had been running his hands through it. From the look in his eyes it was easy to see that he was embarrassed at his appearance. Perhaps it was the fact that Ren was so scattered that gave her a dose of calmness.

"Did you mean it?" She asked quietly.

Ren didn't know exactly what she meant, but he was sure the answer was yes. "Everything I wrote in the letter was true," he settled on saying.

Kyoko looked at him as he spoke. It was as though they had traded personalities. He was the frazzled one, and she was the calm one. It was almost laughable really, and suddenly she knew. She wanted this, wanted him, despite his flaws, and hers, they complemented each other. They were friends, equals in a way that was outside their professions, and Ren would never be Sho, even if the relationship were to fail, she knew that he wouldn't be mean about it. She could see a future with him, it was full of arguments, and playfulness, but also love.

Ren was suitable startled when Kyoko began to cry. He felt as though he were in shock, should he make a move to hold her, say something, do something?

She looked at him, golden eyes wet with tears, and in that moment everything in the world, outside of the two of them, in this space, could have vanished, and he wouldn't have known. Then she was hugging him, and it took him a second to fold his arms around her, because his body and mind had literally stopped for a moment, but that was okay, they were okay.

They still had a lot to discuss. His past, their future, to name two big ones, but that could wait. For the moment they were content, and that was enough.


End file.
